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DS90CR287: Camera Link to HDMI without PC or FPGA?

Part Number: DS90CR287
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: DS90UB934-Q1, DS90UB933-Q1, DS90UB936-Q1, DS90UB935-Q1

Hey All,

First of all sorry for my maybe newbie question about digital camera protocols anc IC's.

For the first digital camera project at my job I got the task to create an Camera consisting of an Camera pixel array IC and a DS90CR287 and display it's image on a computer screen.
From what I can make of it, from reading intensively on the internet the last week, is that this camera IC output is converted with an DS90CR287 to a Camera Link interface.

The camera IC itself has the next outputs: DATA_CMOS[0:9], LVAL_CMOS, FVAL_CMOS, DVAL_CMOS and TxCLK_CMOS at 3V3.
From what is described in the datasheet of the camera IC this camera has 2 version:

  1. the color version, based on the bayer color filter principal and a resolution of QVGA.
  2. the black and white version, with an resolution of VGA.

The DATA_CMOS[0:9] is the 10-bit value of a single pixel, this at 20MHz output clock.
What do you guys think, is my assemtion of the "Camera IC -> DS90CR287 -> Camera Link" possible? Or did I make a miss assumtion?

As my first task with this camera I need to make a system to display the image on a HDMI display from a PC.
If the camera transmit the data in the protocol "camera link", we can use ofcourse a frame grabber to get the data on the computer.

The other examples I can find on the internet always use a FPGA or PCI-express card.
Actually to use an complete FPGA and a frame grabber is total overkill for the demo I need to make I believe.
After a lot of reading about OpenLDI, FPD-Link, Cameralink and HDMI-IC's I have still the one big question: Can CameraLink directrly be coupled to an HDMI monitor with only IC's of TI?

From all the sollutions I saw on the internet is that their is always be an FPGA involved, the FPGA will convert I think somehow the pixel array the input of the HDMI chip.
It will read the camera in per pixel, row per row and the HDMI IC's do expect already all the 3 colors (RGB) at once?
To achieve this the camera link protocol is implemented always in an IP block in the FPGA.

Is their no other solution to directly hook the camera (camera link) up to the HDMI IC's? Or do we always need an FPGA or a PC with framegrabber?

Already many thanks!

Br Nico

  • Hi Nico,

    Do you have a camera IC in mind? The most common camera interfaces are parallel and CSI-2. 

    For example, for parallel interface, you can consider the following link: camera -> DS90UB933-Q1 -> DS90UB934-Q1 -> parallel to hdmi converter. 

    For CSI-2 interface, you can use camera -> DS90UB935-Q1 -> DS90UB936-Q1 -> frame grabber -> HDMI output.

    Best,

    Jiashow

  • Hey,

    I have indeed a camera IC in mind, the only problem is that I can't share the data sheet yet. The camera IC is an IC that is still not available commercially.

    The outputs available on the camera are:

    • DATA_CMOS[0:9]
    • DVAL_CMOS
    • LVAL_CMOS
    • FVAL_CMOS
    • TxCLK_CMOS

    So the output of the camera is a parallel output, it reads the pixel array from left to right and from top to bottom.

    Every time if there is data been sent the DVAL_CMOS toggle during the transmission time. If there is one complete pixel line finished the LVAL_CMOS will toggle for a short time. After a complete frame is sent the FVAL_CMOS will toggle once.

    Every pixel is sent out by the DATA_CMOS[0:9] according the sequence it's placed on the pixel array. (The pixel array is a Bayer color filter)

    So I believe the output is parallel (10bit Green, 10bit Red, 10bit Green, ... next line, 10bit Blue, 10bit Green, 10bit Blue, .... )

    If I look to the proposed solution from above "camera -> DS90UB933-Q1 -> DS90UB934-Q1 -> parallel to hdmi converter." the actual missing link is still the same as before. I don't get what kind of IC I can use as "parallel to hdmi converter". Do you have any suggestion knowing that the pixel will arrive in the sequence as described 3 lines ago?
    Or is their no commercial IC available from TI? Will I always need an FPGA to do the conversion parallel to HDMI?

    Br, Nico

  • Hi Nico,

    If it's parallel, you shouldn't have to process the data. You just need an adaptor board to convert it to hdmi.

    You may need to do some research on where you can purchase a converter board.

    Best,

    Jiashow